Maybe it's their grace and charm. Maybe it's how helpful they are in controlling pests. Or maybe it's just the sense of peace and quiet they instill whenever they are present. Whatever the reason, many people love having dragonflies and damselflies nearby. In fact, there are even dragonfly clubs in Great Britain. You can attract them to your garden if you put in the right ingredients.
You don't need a large pond to attract dragonflies. Some people have had luck breeding them in plastic wading pools. No matter how big or small your pond is, make sure it has shallow edges and a center that's at least 2 feet deep. You can find pre-molded pond shapes at many home centers. Another option is using containers as water gardens.
Dragonflies eat bugs - lots of bugs. But they breed in water, and their nymphs need hiding places. That's why water plants play an important role in the dragonfly environment. When they're ready to become adults, they climb the plants. Also, adult dragonflies seem to like places to perch. You can find a wide assortment of water plants at garden shops and online.
Plants along the edge of your pond offer more perching sites for dragonflies. If they like your pond, they'll stick around. Some naturalists recommend shrubs, such as seedbox and buttonbush, as good border plants for your dragonfly pond.
Dragonflies like to sun themselves. The warmth of flat rocks seems to help them get going. Try a mix of light and dark rocks to see which kind attracts more dragonflies.
Many pond-owners love having fish in their ponds. After all, they look pretty and they eat bugs. The problem is, they also eat dragonfly nymphs. So if you want a breeding population of dragonflies, you'll either need a big pond, or no fish.
